Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-03-21
SOME ABLE-BopIED COMMENTS,
Is This City Governed by the Lincoln Club.
Or by Council?
To TIE Editor Of the Register.

published in the Intelligeaser a statement
to the effect that his club had no part in
the organization of Council or the distri-
button of the offices in its gift, and WAS in
no way responsible for the acts of Council.
He offers as proof of his statement the
fact that but five members Of Council be
long to his club.
While this may be so. do the occur
rences of the last few weeks prove it. The
City Building being under the control OF
Council or q majority of its members, why
was the Lincoln Club house selected by
the Radical majority as the place to meet
and parcel out the DOODLE" in the shape
of city Ofices2 Either Council chamber
would have afforded more comfortable
place OF meeting than the garnet of the
| club house, and the members OF the
| caucus could have been protected from all
persons disposed to annoy them by the
police.
Had the announcement Of the President
of the club, made the morning after the
election, any influence in selecting the
place of meeting? He declared that 1.-THE
| Democrats had the hOnors, but we had the
Doodle, and by the Lord We intended that
no Democrat should have a smell of it. "
Who we're we? Who made his words
good? NNas it not, mainly, the Lincoln
J club? Was not the building crowded on
the night of its caucus with its members,
who brought all the party pressure posi-
lie on members of the caucus to keep them
la line? Could the President have sue
creded in defeating the Secretary of the
club and the Secretary of the Republican
State Executive Committee for City Solic-
itor if he had not had the assistance of the
club men present?
1t is true that, with radical mOdesty, he
nominated himself for the City Solicitor
ship and also traded his vote with other
members of the caucus, who were after n
share Of the DOODLE" but his greatest
help came from his followers in the club
who did the blowing and striking for
him. In carrying out his share of giving
no Democrat a smell of Office, he, man
in good circumstances, ousted poor, cIlp-
pied Democrat, who had been applying
the petty salary of the office TO the sup
port of widowed mother.
Our Market Master is q Lincoln club
man, in good standing and by good trad
ing OF his vote and the aid of the club, de-
feated members of his own party; who had
assisted to elect him to Council, ON a pledge
OF his aid to them in their efforts to secure
the office he grabbed for himself
The friends of the successful candidate
for Collector Ia sound Lincoln Club man
laid down their ultimatum, "Brice for Col
lectOr, Hobbs for Board of Public Works,
Shuttle for assessor and Gilleland for
President of the Second Branch, or there
will be no caucus with us in 1t, and
you can't get along without us" The
club pressure was brought to bear and this
programme was carried out
The President of the club and his fol-
lowers were fearful, that in choosing the
standing committees of Council by some
oversight committee might he appointed,
which would, during their term OF office,
interfere with the control of the Doodle.
To provide against this, the officers elect
who are members of Council with one
exception were placed on the standing
committees which had charge Of their de-
partments. For example, the Committee of
Claims has charge of all suits, to which the
city is a party and directs the Solicitor
thereto. With his characteristic mOdesty
the Solicitor had himself placed on
this BOard-Shrewd lawyer. The Board
of Equalization and Appeals has
the inspection and approval of the Asses
sor's books, and he cannot he paid until
the Board approves of his work. Mr.. A. J.
Shuttle, Assessor elect, is on this Board.
Sound A. J. won't trust his work 10 rad
ical judgment without being there to see
that they don't cheat him. The President
of the S, cOnd Branch, whose present and
prospective business may bring him in con-
flict with the city authorities, provides for
the future by assisting to push sound
Democrat off the Health Committee and
placing q relative Of his thereOn-nOt so
bad for o new President.
The Board Of Public Works, not having
q member of Council among its members,
provides for future trouble by appointing Il
member of the Committee on Streets and
Alleys u street bOss-shrewd Board.
The Lincoln Club has been in charge of
our city for seven weeks, and in that time
has granted the privilege of supplying nat
ural gas for lighting factories, etc, 10 a
company of foreign capitalists, who con-
tribute almost nothing TO the city
revenues, and who use our
streets for their own purposes in
way which costs the city hundreds of
dollars for repairs. This is a blow at the
Gas works and is also a violation OF the
contract between the city and the Natural
Gas companies.
The Lincoln Club is also permitting an
electrical company to plant lights in all
parts of the city and taking awayRcus-
toners from the gas works. This COM
pany is acting without permit from
Council or even a permit from the Board
of Public Works to dig in the streets. The
| President of the Lincoln Club gives au ad-
verse opinion, as lawyer, TO this act OF
the company but as member of the club
pledges his vote to give this company
the privilege of cnppling the city 5
gas works rs much rs is in it's power
| to do. The surplus revenues of the Gas
Works are pledged to pay, in part, the in
| terest OF the last loan, voted by the people.
| The limit of taxation has been reached and
| no more revenue can be raised in that
way. II the revenues of the Gas Works
are permittad to be deminished by the in.
PRODUCTION ofthe electric light the price OF
gas must be increased or the
pledge of the city eau not be made good
Another Lincoln Club measure is the
changing of our city time to accommodate
few drummers and dead beats. Our
people never requested it. They, in theiI
old fashioned simplicity, thought the Lord
could regulate the time by the movements
of the Sun, in an ordinarily decent way,
and would never have known that He
could not, if the Lincoln Club had not dis
covered McGregor. Ifthe members of the
club were compelled to be up in the morn
ing from half an hour to an hour earlier tC
prepare the morning meals, as the wives o.
the labOring men of this city will be when
the change is made, perhaps the desire tC
please the drummers would not have had
so much effect with them.
For the chance it has had, the Club has
done right well. 1t has parceled out the
doodle" among its own members and
| their friends and in all cases, but one, care
fully refrained from giving any
| thing 10 any one but the